Courage Has Its Limits
by FanofBellaandEdward
Summary: A rogue shinobi or the village attacked? No problem. Meeting his boyfriend's parents officially? Yeah, no, there were limits. Where was Akatsuki when you needed them? Sasuke's pov; birthday fic; still shinobi but altered timeline; implied mature content; slash
**Author's note: This is a birthday gift for my best friend, pokeyspot! Happy birthday, honey, I hope you'll enjoy this fic!**

 **Warnings: Sasuke's pov; implied mature content (for full version, please visit my profile for more information); overprotective parents; same universe, but alternated time line: both families stayed alive**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.**

 **I hope you'll like it!**

* * *

 **Courage Has Its Limits**

The dying sunlight coloured the large bedroom a mixture of red and orange. Some of the sunrays reflected off the glass of two photo frames, which had been placed on a dark brown dresser, made out of sturdy oak.

Through the open window, a soft breeze caused the dark blue curtains to flutter and cast fleeting shadows on two piles of clothes decorating the wooden floor. The first pile was a messy one: the ensemble of dark orange trousers with a black orange jacket and a black mesh shirt was carelessly thrown on top of hastily discarded shoes. The second pile was the complete opposite: black trousers were neatly folded and placed next to shoes which were neatly placed against the desk. The black coat and black shirt had followed the same fate as the trousers and rested on the pair of trousers.

A single, sharpened sword – the envy of many – leant against the wall on the right side of the desk and various kunai had been dropped in front of the magnificent sword; their blades glinted faintly in the light of the setting sun.

Soft breathing of the two men currently occupying the large bed disturbed the silence. The black blueish hair of the man lying closest to the closed door clashed with the bright golden hair of the slightly smaller one; just like how the pale skin of the first man contrasted sharply with the tan colour of the second man.

Slender fingers played lazily with the sapphire stone that the blond man wore on a golden chain. Azure blue eyes, half lidded, took in the way fingers were caressing the stone, tracing the ridges in it leisurely.

"Is your brother away on a mission?" Naruto murmured and shifted his leg a couple of inches when it was on the verge of falling asleep.

Sasuke rolled on his back, releasing the sapphire. His hand slipped from a sharp collarbone to the intricate demon seal drawn around the bellybutton which declared the owner to be the vessel of the nine tailed demon fox.

"Yeah, he was asked to convince a rough shinobi to employ his skills for this village," he replied. It was such an odd request, but he didn't doubt that his brother would be successful. Itachi brought every mission to a complete success, no matter how impossible. It was no wonder that he was considered the golden child in both the Uchiha clan and the village.

"A rogue shinobi?" Naruto mumbled bemused and raised an eyebrow.

Sasuke shrugged; his shoulders bumped against Naruto's. "A specialist in clay bombs, that's all Itachi-niisan told me before he left."

"The Council makes weird as fuck decisions," Naruto said flatly and wrinkled his nose.

"I thought your father had made that decision," Sasuke remarked and watched how goose bumps appeared when he traced the seal with the nail of his index finger.

"Dad doesn't talk about his work much," the blond replied flippantly. "I can't imagine him wanting to employ a rogue shinobi, though."

He had a point there.

A bruised mouth pressed several open mouthed kisses on his shoulder and a warm hand rubbed circles on his lower stomach.

"Say, Sasuke," Naruto hummed and sat up, squinting a bit when the sunlight hit his face.

Suspicion filled him instantly; that particular tone meant that his lover needed something. God, he hoped it wasn't a demand for ramen; he had seen enough of that unhealthy food in the past week to last him for at least four months.

"What do you want?" Sasuke sighed and stretched his leg, pushing the rumpled sheet to the other side of the bed.

Naruto huffed and tapped Sasuke's stomach, causing the man to tense his abdominal muscles. "My parents want to meet you."

"They already met me." Sasuke stared at the blond blankly. "I've been visiting your house since we were four, remember?"

Maybe all those entering Kyuubi mode moments were screwing with his memory.

"Officially, bastard," Naruto huffed and glanced away embarrassed. "As, as my boyfriend." He visibly swallowed.

Was it too late to choose the ramen demand? Dread filled him and he grimaced.

"You told them about us?" he questioned apprehensively. He wasn't ashamed of Naruto, of course not, but …

"I had no choice, bastard," Naruto grumbled. His cheeks reddened. "Mum wanted to know why – why I was limping last week."

Dark eyes stared at the embarrassed blond horrified. "Your mother knows we're having sex?!" His voice gained a higher pitch and any other moment he would have been ashamed of that, but all he could focus on now was the fact that Kushina – the woman who had defeated twelve enemies _singlehandedly_ when those men had attempted to kidnap her son – knew he was shagging her precious son. It was a god damn miracle she hadn't shown up yet to rip his balls off. Wait, if she knew, then –

"Please don't tell me she told your father about us." Sasuke paled at the thought of the Hokage knowing about their relationship. Minato was a gentle man, loved by everyone and he always had a smile ready … unless you touched his son in the wrong way.

To this day nobody knew what exactly had happened to Kabuto, who had been planning to deliver Naruto to a dangerous enemy. All that was known was that Minato had accepted the task of interrogating the stupid bastard.

To summarise: Uchiha Sasuke was utterly, thoroughly, completely fucked. He might as well pack all his stuff and migrate to one of those small towns in Snow country that fell off the radar.

"It's not that bad, Sasuke," Naruto protested and looked at him pleadingly. "They just want to meet you officially as my boyfriend. I had dinner with your parents two weeks ago!"

"Yes, but my parents aren't inclined to rip off your precious bits and dump your body in a remote place," Sasuke hissed and rose up.

"You're exaggerating." Naruto scowled.

"Naruto, usuratonkachi, I love you, but I rather prefer to fight those weirdos of Akatsuki without weapons and half dead than meet your parents officially," Sasuke told him sincerely.

"My parents aren't that bad, bastard," Naruto retorted petulantly.

"Naruto, have you even realised how protective your parents are?" Sasuke questioned incredulously. "It's a miracle I'm still in possession of my dick!"

Naruto swung his leg over Sasuke's thighs, so that he ended up straddling him. A sneaky hand began fondling him.

"Naruto …" the dark haired man brought out through clenched teeth and his hands shot out, grabbing tanned, sweaty hips. He should push the other man off him, but right when he made that resolve, Naruto twisted his hand and he groaned lowly.

Cerulean blue eyes glowed when Naruto leant forwards until their noses almost brushed against each other.

"Please, Sasuke?" Naruto whispered coaxingly. "I really want you to meet my parents as my boyfriend."

Sasuke groaned, partly in annoyance, partly in pleasure as Naruto's hand slowly but surely sped up. "And I really like to live beyond seventeen years," he breathed out and his head fell back against his propped up pillow while he subtly rolled his hips.

"Tell you what," Naruto murmured in his ear and nibbled on his earlobe. "If you meet my parents, for twenty-four hours I'll do whatever you want." His suggestion was punctuated by a wriggle of his hips and a suggestive look. White teeth flashed when he smiled seductively. "I'll even let you tie me up if you want. I'll be completely at your mercy. So what do you say, hm?"

There was nothing, no act of sex that could make Sasuke agree to the life threatening act that was meeting –

"We can even use some toys," Naruto hummed.

Oh god, the mental image of his lover tied to the bed, his legs spread wide with a …

A whimper was torn out of his mouth when the fire in his belly – which had been steadily building up – erupted, leaving him with shaking limbs and Naruto with red handprints on his hips.

Hooded, blue eyes gazed at him expectantly; his cheekbones dusted a fain pink.

Fuck, he was so damn weak when it came to the young man sitting on top of him.

"Forty-eight hours and I'll do it," Sasuke rasped, when most of his tremors had subsided.

Naruto pursed his lips and eyed him contemplatively before he chuckled. "Deal; forty-eight hours." Gratitude shone through in his eyes. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

He yelped when Sasuke flipped them over without prior warning; the blond ended up on his back with the older man on top of him.

"What – "

"I need some incentive to be fully prepared," Sasuke murmured and dipped his head to kiss reddened lips.

Those lips broke out in a smirk underneath his. Hands clasped around his neck, bringing him closer. "I think I can help you with that," Naruto murmured and opened his legs, welcoming his lover between them.

As the sun went down completely, moans and whispering filled the air once more.

* * *

"Should I inform our parents that they'll have to keep their schedules free to mourn your imminent passing?" Itachi questioned lightly from his spot on Sasuke's bed where he was lounging. His left arm was bandaged from his wrist to his elbow and a large, square white band aid covered his left cheek. The edges of the burn mark peeked out from underneath the band aid. His right ankle was heavily bandaged as well and it would be at least another week before he would stop limping.

The rogue shinobi hadn't been easy to convince.

"Not funny!" Sasuke growled and scowled at his reflection. Were the white shirt and the black trousers enough or was it too much? Did Naruto's parents expect him to show up in his regular outfit?

"Well, they had to know you're screwing their son sooner than later," Itachi continued idly. "You can count yourself lucky that mother didn't say anything to Kushina-san."

"Itachi, seriously, shut the fuck up," the younger man barked and glared at his amused brother.

"Relax," Itachi drawled. "If they get rid of you, they know they would antagonise their son and that's something they don't want."

"That doesn't mean they won't castrate me," Sasuke muttered darkly and paled at the thought of having his manhood harmed.

Why the hell had he agreed to meet Naruto's parents?

…

Oh yes, because Naruto promised to obey him for forty-eight hours. How the mighty had fallen.

Itachi clucked his tongue and nodded at the clock. "If you want to make a good impression, I suggest you leave now."

Dismayed Sasuke saw that he was right. In spite of his reluctance, it was nearly time for him to meet Kushina and Minato.

With a pained grimace, he collected the gifts he had bought this morning and slipped on his shoes.

"It was nice knowing you, otouto," Itachi smirked and stood up, placing most of his weight on his left ankle.

"Fuck off!" Sasuke snarled; his nerves high strung. He climbed out of the window up on the roof and from there he ran over and jumped from one roof to another, landing light on his feet for barely five seconds before launching himself to the next one. The sunlight was still fairly harsh for being past five p.m., but the cool breeze caressing his face and clothes made the nearly stifling warmth bearable.

All too soon he landed in front of the Namikaze-Uzumaki residence and he spent an embarrassing long time fixing his hair and clothes.

When he figured he couldn't waste more time unless he wanted to be late, he took a deep breath in a failed attempt to calm down his raging nerves and knocked on the door two times.

To his relief Naruto was the one to open the door. Blue eyes lightened up when they saw him and he couldn't supress the warm glow of happiness that spread in him; it was always nice to have it confirmed that his boyfriend was happy to see him.

They shared a quick kiss and Naruto ushered him inside where Sasuke was met with the sound of sizzling meat.

"Mum is nearly done with dinner," Naruto informed him while he toed off his shoes and put on the house slippers he had left behind last year. "She's making teriyaki – both chicken and salmon."

"Sounds good," Sasuke mumbled and straightened his back. Despite having stayed at this house almost more than at his own, he felt highly uncomfortable.

The low voices of Minato and Kushina chattering to each other which normally put him at ease, now made him tense up. He had been approved as best friend for their son – but would they approve of him as their son's boyfriend?

God, he really wished Akatsuki would launch an attack right now. Everything was preferable and less nerve wracking than enduring a meeting with Naruto's parents.

"What are those for?" Naruto raised an eyebrow and pointed at the bottle of expensive sake and the bouquet of white tulips.

Sasuke stared at him blankly. "Bribe material so that your parents won't dispose of my body tonight."

"Idiot," Naruto scoffed and shook his head exasperatedly. He grabbed Sasuke's wrist and tugged at it insistently. "Come on now. We can't stay in the hallway forever."

Personally Sasuke wouldn't mind remaining here for the rest of the evening, but he grudgingly followed Naruto to the kitchen.

"… fortunately for him, Tsunade-sama didn't hear him," Minato finished relating an event of today. His bright blond hair – inherited by his son – glinted in the harsh T-light. His hand was casually wrapped around his glass of water.

Kushina shook her head and her long, red hair – gathered in a high ponytail – shimmered slightly when she turned around. "Jiraiya never learns, huh?" Her violet coloured eyes rolled in reaction to the Sannin's latest stupid stunt.

"Mum, dad, Sasuke's here," Naruto announced and tugged him forwards.

Two pair of eyes – one pair violet and the other dark blue respectively – swivelled towards them and Sasuke swallowed, flustered, feeling nervous butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

 _Just act normal_ , he chanted silently and nodded. "Good evening, Minato-san, Kushina-san," he greeted them and offered the gifts. "I've brought these as a thank you for having me over for dinner."

Minato accepted the bottle of sake and raised an eyebrow when he read the label. "Never took you for being a sake specialist," he remarked idly, but his eyes were sharp when he regarded Sasuke.

The dark haired man resisted the urge to fidget. "I'm not." He cleared his throat and admitted sheepishly, "Tsunade-sama caught me when I was trying to decide which one to pick and she advised me to buy that one."

Being a notorious drunk for years, Tsunade – a very famous medical nin – had become quite the expert in alcoholic drinks.

"Figures the old hag was the one to help you," Naruto muttered and then squawked when he was forced to duck to avoid being hit by a pot ladle.

"Show some respect, brat!" Kushina snapped and her threatening demeanour changed completely when she took the bouquet out of Sasuke's hand. "These are lovely, Sasuke-kun. Thank you."

Sasuke, who hadn't even flinched at the short, unexpected outburst – having grown used to it – relaxed a bit. "I'm glad you like them."

"I'm going to put them in a vase and then we can eat," she announced and whisked off to another room to locate a vase.

Sasuke took a deep breath and lowered himself on the chair next to Naruto. He could do this. If he could win a fight with Orochimaru, he could survive dinner with Naruto's parents.

Naruto's hand fell on his knee, warm through the layer of his trousers, and he received a reassuring squeeze.

Yes, if he could survive an attack of the notorious Kisame, he could get through this evening in one piece.

Maybe if he told himself that enough time, he might actually start believing it.

* * *

The interrogation started when they had been eating for ten minutes.

"So, Sasuke-kun, how long have you been dating my son?" Minato asked with narrowed eyes.

Was he only imagining the slight emphasis on ' _my son_ '? "Tomorrow it will be five months," Sasuke answered calmly and put a piece of sweet chicken in his mouth.

"Five months, huh," the older blond mused.

"Dad," Naruto said warningly and flicked his eyes up at him.

"What?" Minato looked innocently at his son. "I was just wondering why it took so long before you told us about your relationship. Did one of you decide to keep quiet about it?"

Was it Sasuke's imagination or was the Hokage specifically addressing him with his questions?

Before Naruto could offer a scathing remark, - by now Sasuke knew him well enough to know that the blond was particularly unhappy with his father's way of interrogation – Sasuke answered, "At first we both had to adjust to the shift in our bond and afterwards it kind of slipped our minds." His cheeks warmed with embarrassment. Sometimes they lost track of what was happening in the world, because they were caught up in each other. That was why only the people closest to them knew they were a couple now.

Minato narrowed his eyes slightly and commented idly, "But your friends have known for a while, no?"

Sasuke and Naruto nodded reluctantly.

"Usually the parents know from the start," Minato remarked blandly, but his eyes flashed dangerously.

Sasuke was reminded instantly why – though the man looked gently – everyone with even half a brain cell feared the Hokage and he tensed slightly, wishing once more that an attack would happen. He had never been on Minato's bad side before and that left him floundering now. The Hokage wasn't openly hostile, but it was clear that he didn't appreciate being left out of the loop.

Or he was pissed that his son was no longer a child anymore and blamed the dark haired man for that.

Fuck; and Naruto dared to complain that Sasuke could be overprotective at times!

"Yeah, well, our friends know because they walked in on us," Naruto huffed annoyed and plopped a piece of salmon in his mouth.

"Walked in on what?" Minato smiled friendly.

Only an idiot would not see the danger lurking deep inside his eyes.

"On us kissing," Sasuke hastened to say, and discreetly kicked Naruto's leg lightly. The blond hissed softly, but didn't say anything and ignore his mother's raised eyebrow.

Kiba had actually walked in on them in the forest where Sasuke had been holding up Naruto against a tree, buried deeply inside of him. No way would Sasuke tell Minato that!

"Well, as long as you both are happy," Kushina smiled and slapped her husband's arm. "Right, Minato?" Her smile sharpened, filled with danger, daring the blond to protest.

Minato grunted in agreement and scowled at his plate. He then fixed Sasuke with a heavy glare, causing the latter to freeze in response. "Just remember, though, if you ever hurt Naruto, I know a variety of interesting jutsu that will make you - "

"DAD!" Naruto exclaimed exasperatedly and glowered at the older man. "Don't threaten him!"

"Minato, dear, you promised to behave," Kushina reprimanded him with a heavy frown.

"I'd rather die than hurt Naruto," Sasuke spoke sincerely and looked Minato right in his eyes.

His admission made Kushina beam, Minato huff but it silenced him as well and Naruto was quite flustered, but visibly pleased as he dropped a quick kiss on Sasuke's cheek and squeezed his thigh underneath the table.

Their conversation shifted to other topics like the upcoming visit of the Mizukage to discuss new transactions between the two countries and the mood lightened again, resulting in Sasuke relaxing for the first time that evening.

* * *

When it was time for dessert, Kushina rose up and glanced at Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, would you mind helping me with the cake?" she asked, smiling, before addressing the two blonds, "You two can go to the living room already."

"Okay, mum," Naruto grinned and when he left the kitchen with his father, he started bickering with him whether or not it would be a good idea to have Jiraiya present during the talk with the Mizukage.

"I'm sorry for the way Minato acted," Kushina said and sighed as she rolled her eyes. "I've been trying to get him to understand that Naruto isn't our little boy anymore." Her face gained a wistful look as she started to collect plates out of the cupboard.

"I kind of expected him to react like that," Sasuke smiled wryly as he took the chocolate ice cake out of the freezer.

"You don't have to worry, though. Minato does know a lot of jutsu, but as Hokage, he isn't allowed to use them merely to punish his son's boyfriend," she said amused and winked.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he was filled with a sense of foreboding when she smiled sweetly at him.

Her eyes glinted when she said casually, "Mind, I don't have those restrictions. I might not be in possession of Kurama anymore, but I don't need his help to do a significant amount of damage. I'm also good at not leaving any evidence behind. I don't want my son to get hurt, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. With that in mind, I'm really glad to see Naruto so happy with you." She smiled angelically and brushed a kiss against his forehead. "I know I can trust you to take care of my son and not hurt him, right?"

"Right," he brought out, wide eyed.

Her face brightened and she clapped her hands together. "Right, let's bring this to them before it melts."

Screw being afraid of the Hokage; he was utterly terrified of Naruto's mother because he knew her threats weren't idle. If Naruto got hurt, she would retaliate and she would be absolutely ruthless.

The ones who thought that the Uchiha clan was the most dangerous one clearly had never met Naruto's parents.

In a daze, Sasuke followed Kushina out of the kitchen, carrying the ice cake.

The Akatsuki sounded more and more like fluffy kittens compared to Naruto's parents, fuck.

* * *

"Well, we survived the evening," Naruto laughed weakly and rubbed the back of his neck, radiating awkwardness, an hour later outside his house.

"Speak for yourself," Sasuke snorted harshly and rolled his shoulders, casting a weary look at the night sky. He felt completely wrung out, hollow and was too tired to be relieved at finally having ended the whole officially meeting the parents thing. He hadn't expected to be under such high scrutiny.

"I'm sorry," Naruto muttered subdued. "I didn't expect my parents to be this bad."

Sasuke groaned when he looked at Naruto. The blond looked so contrite and miserable that he couldn't even be annoyed with him.

"Don't worry about it; I didn't expect anything less," he retorted wryly and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"But still! They shouldn't have d- "

He interrupted the blond with a firm kiss. "My meeting them officially made you happy, right?" He raised an eyebrow and slid his arms around the younger shinobi's waist.

Naruto nodded reluctantly, clearly conflicted.

"Then it was worth it," Sasuke stated simply and was rewarded with flushed cheeks and a goofy, bright smile that caused cerulean blue eyes to shine brightly.

Sasuke would do anything – including subjecting himself to any form of torture – to keep that smile on Naruto's face.

"Bastard," Naruto murmured lovingly and locked their lips together in a soft, but persistent kiss; moulding their bodies together.

Yeah, in the end, no matter how dangerous or terrifying, he'd do anything for Naruto.

If that meant putting up with the occasional threat – well, he had endured harder things, he mused as he pulled back to gaze in endless blue, warmth filling him.

Because Naruto was worth it. That was the simple truth.

* * *

 **AN2: Look, almost no angst! I think, at least LOL If there is, it's only a smidgen.**

 **Should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!**

 **Cuddles**

 **Melissa**

 **P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.**


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